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Daily news and top headlines for food manufacturing professionals

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc.'s fiscal fourth-quarter net income dropped sharply due to a one-time gain in the prior year. Its adjusted profit fell just shy of market expectations. The doughnut store operator, based in Winston-Salem, N.C., also issued a disappointing full-year forecast and its shares slipped in after-hours trading Thursday.

Local authorities on the Aland Islands in the Baltic Sea say a local brewer will begin producing a beer inspired by bottles found in a 19th century shipwreck three years ago. Five bottles of beer, along with 168 bottles of champagne, were pulled from a submerged schooner that experts believe sank in the 1840s.

Parts of the North Island are drier than they've been in 70 years and some scientists say the unusual weather could be a harbinger of climate change. There has been little significant rainfall in the northern and eastern parts of the country since October.

Supermarkets including Kroger, Safeway and Whole Foods are improving the image of their store brands with better packaging and more distinctive offerings. But where exactly do these products come from? It's a question a growing number of people may have as retailers increasingly develop their store brands as a way to cultivate loyalty among shoppers.

Hostess is moving forward with the sale of Devil Dogs, Yankee Doodles and Yodels to the maker of Little Debbie cakes. The bankrupt company says it picked McKee Foods as the buyer for the Drake's cakes after nobody stepped forward with a qualifying bid to top its $27.5 million offer.

In this photo from March 11, 2013, farmer Peter Brown walks on the dry ground on his dairy farm near Ohinewai, New Zealand. A drought in New Zealand’s North Island is costing farmers millions of dollars each day and is beginning to take a toll on the country’s economy.

Identifying the spirits, wine and beer brands that achieved significant volume gains last year and are positioned to continue growing in 2013 and beyond, Technomic is announcing its Fast 50 Brands report. The 50 adult beverage brands were identified by analyzing not only volume performance metrics, but also through examining key brand attributes and supplier strategy and support programs contributing to the brand's success.

Coca-Cola Co. says it plans to close a Sacramento bottling and distribution facility it bought just two months ago. David Ethridge, general manager of the Sacramento business, says the 60-employee operation on Stockton Boulevard will close at a date to be determined, calling it a "difficult decision."

McDonald's is rolling out a yolk-free version of its Egg McMuffin this spring. The world's biggest hamburger chain says the "Egg White Delight" will be made with a whole grain muffin, Canadian bacon and white cheddar cheese. It will be available nationally April 22 and clock in at 250 calories, compared with 300 calories for a regular Egg McMuffin.

A New Jersey maker of muffins and other baked goods has been accused of distributing mislabeled food, including products described as sugar-free but still containing sugar. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that Edison-based Butterfly Bakery has agreed under a consent decree to shut down until it can meet all regulations.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. said Wednesday that it will cut 74 full-time positions from its workforce at two facilities in California and Ontario. In addition, the Waterbury, Vt.-based company said seasonal layoffs will result in the loss of another 36 positions at facilities in Toronto, Montreal and Quebec by May 11.

The Maryland House of Delegates amended the state budget on Wednesday to make up to $300,000 available to help a farm family pay its legal bills after it was sued unsuccessfully over alleged poultry pollution. The case, which was filed in federal court in 2010, prompted criticism from Gov. Martin O'Malley and state lawmakers in both parties.

Animal rights activists are up in arms over a Nebraska bill that would require documentation of any incidents of animal abuse to be turned over within 24 hours. Meat processors hope the bill will curb the release of animal abuse videos taken undercover at slaughterhouses, but activists say the bill will cripple their ability to document patterns of abuse.

Animal rights advocates are urging Nebraska lawmakers to reject a measure backed by meat producers that would require incidents of animal abuse to be reported within 24 hours of taking place, saying it would cripple their ability to document patterns of abuse.

With their quota cut by 74 percent and warnings that the Gulf of Maine shrimp population was in bad shape due to warm ocean temperatures, fishermen expected this to be a rough shrimp season. But it's turned out to be an even bigger bust than anybody anticipated.

A Wisconsin Gouda won top honors Wednesday night at the 2013 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, edging out entries from Vermont and Illinois. Marieke Penterman, of Holland's Family Cheese in Thorp, Wis., won the two-day competition in Green Bay with her Marieke Mature Gouda. Out of a possible 100 points, Marieke Gouda scored 98.31 in the final round of judging.

Chinese authorities are investigating whether Coca-Cola Co. employees improperly used location-finding technology in violation of restrictions on map-making. Coca-Cola said Thursday it was cooperating with investigators. It said trucks for some of its bottling plants use location technology that is widely available commercially in China to improve the efficiency of deliveries.

From oil in Gatorade to the amount of caffeine and other stimulants in energy drinks and the so-called "pink slime" found in beef, previously unnoticed ingredients are coming under scrutiny as health-conscious consumers demand more information about what they eat and drink, and sometimes go public via social networking and the Internet.

Marieke Penterman, center, owner of Holland's Family Cheese LLC in Thorp, Wis., reacts after winning first place in the U.S. Cheese Championship Contest at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. Penterman's winning cheese was an aged Gouda.